This is the
story
of the last concert in *Nsync's No Strings Attached Summer Tour.
And
what happens when they meet one of their fans, late that night in the
hotels hot tub. This story pairs Joey with one of their fans.

Is our history
written in stone? What would happen if one thing in a person's
life could be
changed. See what happens when the Backstreet Boys take a ski trip that
change
their lives, for ever.

My New Lifeby James

Disclaimer:

This story
is
the sole property of its author and may not be copied in whole or in
part
without the permission of the author. The posting of
this
story on any web site must be with the author's prior knowledge and
permission.

This story deals
with
the fictional relationship between the members of the musical
groups *Nsync, Backstreet Boys (And who ever else shows up in the
story.) and a
male fan. The sexual orientation of the members of *Nsync
or
the Backstreet Boys are not known by the author and what is
depicted in the story came from the imagination of the author.

If you are not 18
years
old or it is illegal in your area to view such material please read
something else.

This is my newest short story I posted just before
Christmas.
Lance has returned home after not being able to complete his life long
dream,
going into space. He feels his life has no meaning and he
struggles
to regain his self worth. He finds what he is looking for in the
form of an abused little boy and his friend Ethan

Chapter
72

‘What is he talking about?’
A.J. thought. A series of lightening flashes lit up the room and
for a moment he could see the intensity in Marc’s eyes. Eyes he
has looked into before. Eyes, that were the same, but some how
different. Yes, he had looked into those eyes before, he knew
it. But at that time the eyes were so vacant, and at the same
time, scared.

As Kevin
and Lance stood off to the side watching, the others from the kitchen
began to filter out into the pool area. Standing together they
watched their friends, not knowing what was happening, only knew
something was going on.

“Alex,
please,” Marc pleaded. “Tell me about Johnny.”

A.J. felt
a shiver move up his spine. ‘How could he know about Johnny?’
A.J. thought.

“We, we
had just finished our first European tour for Lou,” A.J. softly said as
he thought back those many years ago. “We were so young
then. Maybe too young to realize what we were getting ourselves
into. The schedule was unreal. Interviews, photo shoots,
rehearsals, and performing day in and day out. In one city; one
day, another the next. We slept when we can, usually while we
traveled. We got good at sleeping setting up. We were lucky
to see a real bed once a week.”

A.J.
paused for a long moment. “It was really hard on us. We
were all home sick. Nick had it the hardest. Most nights we could
hear he crying himself to sleep. Brian was the only one who could
seem to give him any comfort. I think that’s why the two of them
became so close.”

Brian
looked at Nick, they both nodded, at A.J.’s truth.

“Now
instead of crying, you could hear the two of them whispering late at
night. They kind of formed their own support
group. Then I noticed Kevin and Howie were doing the same
thing. They would sit together and talk quietly when ever they
got a chance.”

“You know
what the worst thing about being a Backstreet Boy was? Being the
fifth guy in the group. There was no one to talk to. Know
one to share my problems and fears with. They had each
other. I had no one. That was until I met my best
friend. His name was, alcohol.

“When ever
we had a chance for a night out we would go clubbing. It was a
good way to vent. The clubs really loved it when we showed
up. We didn’t need to pay to get in, the manager would meet us at
the door and escort us in. We’d be taken to a VIP area and the
club would pick up the tab for the night.”

“At first
it was just a couple drinks to relax before hitting the dance
floor. Then a couple more while I rested between sets.
Before I knew it, I was shit faced and I was being carried out to the
waiting car.”

“I didn’t
think I had a problem. I was sober when we worked. I only
drank after the shows. . . . . That was at first. Near the
end of the tour I started having problems. I wasn’t sleeping and
my energy level was low. I started taking pills to help me sleep
then pills to help me get going again. Kevin saw what was
happening and tried to talk to me. I denied I had a problem and
told him to mind his own business.”

“Kevin
didn’t say anything more for the remainder of the tour, so I thought he
had dropped it. Man, was I wrong.”

“Lou met
us at the airport, when we returned to Orlando. We were whisked
off to Lou’s office. When we asked why our families didn’t meet
us he told us they would meet us at the office. But when we got
there none of our families were there.”

“Lou said
our families would be along soon but first he needed to have a meeting
with us. I should have known something was up. It turns out
Kevin and the others have been talking to Lou about my behavior.
Lou flat out asked me if I wanted to remain part of the group? I
told him of course I wanted to remain in the group.”

“Lou said
the only way I would remain in the group, is if I got some help.
He had made arrangements for me at a place outside of Houston that
would give me the help I needed.”

“As soon
as I agreed, he had two of our security waiting to whisk me away.
I didn’t get a chance to see my family, my two body guards and I were
on a flight to Houston in, less then an hour.”

They had a
car waiting for us. We went straight to the “clinic”.
We drove for over an hour, this place was to far out in the middle of
nowhere. The place didn’t look too bad. Actually it kind of
looked more like a spa then a clinic. I didn’t see any bars on
the windows.”

“They were
waiting for us to arrive. In less than twenty minutes I was
checked in and my body guards had left with all my personal
possessions. They left me nothing, no money, no ID, no credit
card. I was given a pair of pajamas and slippers, then taken to
my room to start treatment. I spent the next week in my room
drying out. I didn’t realize how much I had become dependent on
the pills and alcohol. The cramps and the cold sweats were
terrible. But that was nothing to the nightmares I was having.”

“When the
second week rolled around I was given a bathrobe and started
counseling. I was allowed to leave my room for the first
time. I was able to eat with the other residents in the dinning
room. We could go out and spend some time in the garden; which
wasn’t bad early in the morning or early evening. The day time
temperatures was way too high to spend much time out in the midday
sun. So you end up spending most of your time either in the TV
room or the sun room.”

“On the
second day of my release from my room; and after my first counseling
session of the day, I drifted into the sun room. The residents
for the most part seemed like normal people. Most of us were
being treated for some form of addiction or eating disorder. The
sun room was pretty full. There was a checker game going on at
one table. Several of the tables had card games going on.
Several of the residents were sitting by the windows reading. I
was looking around, hoping to find a card game to join, when I first
saw him. There was this guy, sitting off by himself in the
corner. He must have been in a bad accident, his head and hands
were wrapped in bandages.”

The room
was supervised by a nurse. I must have had a confused expression
on my face because she asked me if something was wrong. I asked
her about “What happened to him?” I asked, indicating
the guy in the corner.”

The nurse
looked across the room. “Oh, that’s our John Doe. He
arrived last week.”

“John Doe?”

The nurse
nodded, “That’s what we call him. No one knows his
name. We can’t get him to talk. He’s been through some sort
of trauma.”

“How badly
was he injured?” A.J. asked.

“That’s
the thing. He isn’t injured. He hasn’t been disfigured in
any way.”

“Why the
bandages?”

“From what
the doctor has been able to figure out is he thinks he’s been badly
burned.”

“He won’t
talk or can’t talk?” A.J. inquired.

“Wont
talk. The other night when we had that thunder storm, he found
his voice.”

A.J. gave
the nurse a questioning look.

“He
totally freaked out during the storm. It took three nurses, two
orderlies and a sedative to get him under control.”

Looking
across the room he saw an orderly approach the mummy boy and lean down
to say something. The boys reaction was to turn away and pull
himself into a tight ball.

“Does he
do that with everyone?”

The nurse
looked across the room and nodded. “Pretty much. When he’s
like that we just talk softly to him repeating several times what we
need him to do. As long as we don’t touch him, he will come out
of his shell and do what is asked of him.”

“What if
someone touches him?”

“He cries
out as if he is in pain.”

“I sat and
watched him for the rest of the afternoon. He just sat there
looking out the window up at the sky.”

“When he
left the sun room he walked past me. He kept his eyes down,
almost as if he was afraid to make eye contact.”

“The next
day, after my therapy session, I found him sitting in the sun room in
the same spot as yesterday. I went over and set in a chair near
the windows, but not too close to him. I could watch him in the
reflection of the windows. Every once in a while he would glance
over at me.”

“As the
days passed, I would sit a little closer. Near the end of the
week my doctor had to cancel our session for the day and I managed to
get to the sun room before he arrived. I wondered if he would
come and sit next to me or find another seat. I got quite good at
being able to watch what was going on in the sun room by watching the
reflection in the windows. I spotted him when he entered the sun
room. He stopped looking my way. I knew this would be the
moment of truth. You could almost see the conflict going on
behind those bandages. He surveyed the room for other possible
seats. I knew there were several to choose from but was relieved
to see him making his way to his usual seat. For the first time I
turned to look at him as he sat down. We made brief eye
contact. I smiled at him and gave him a nod. He gave me a
quick nod before breaking eye contact.”

“I
didn’t know it at the time but our actions were being observed and
noted by the charge nurse. The next day my doctor made a comment
about our little greeting. He encouraged me to continue. I
was the first person to get any form of reaction from him.”
“One of my main complaints about the rehab center was the lack of style
in what we had to wear. The doctor laughed and asked what I would
suggest.”

“The next
day I was brought several outfits; lightweight shorts, tank tops, and
lightweight warm-up pants. That day my session with my counselor
was the best one I’ve had. He noted my attitude change.”

“When I
went to the sun room the boy was setting in his normal seat. I
didn’t get any reaction from him until I sat down. We had settled
into a routine I had continued to watch his reflection in the
window. The first glance from him came shortly after he sat
down. But unlike other times the he didn’t break his gaze.
This was something new and I didn’t know what the cause was.
Slowly I turned in my seat; expecting him to look away, but he
didn’t. He was staring at my arm, actually, staring at my
tattoos.”

“I flexed
my arm for him and I received a little smile. Slowly his gaze
moved up. I was smiling at him and I gave him a wink when our
eyes met. He started to look away but he seemed to force himself
to look back. Since he hadn’t crawled into his shell I decided to
try something.”

“You
like tattoos?” I asked him.

He started
to nodded but quickly shook his head.

“Not
sure?” I chuckled.

He shook
his head no.

“Do you
have any tattoos?” I asked.

He quickly
shook his head.

“My name’s
Alex,” I said introducing myself. “And your name is. . . “

He looked
away slowly shaking his head.

“Wont you
tell me your name?”

Again he
shook his head.

“Or is it
you don’t know your name?” I asked him.

He slowly
nodded.

“That
sucks!”

He nodded
in agreement. And I could see a hint of a smile.

“What was
it the nurse called you? I know. John Doe,”

The boy
cringed at the name.

“Yea, I
agree, it sucks. John Doe, it lacks style. You need a name
with more style, more class, savior-faire. How about Johnny?”

The boy
just shrugged.

“I know
it’s not that great,” I said with a laugh. “But you haven’t heard
the whole name yet. We have to come up with something other than
Doe. Doe is a female deer. Soft, furry, big eyed, cuddly
deer. No that wont do. With a name like Doe, I’d rather
have no name at all.”

The boy
nodded in agreement.

“That’s
it!” I said having a brilliant idea. “How about no name?

The boy
eyes looked perplexed.

“I don’t
mean calling you just Johnny. I mean your name should be Johnny
Noname. Yeah, Johnny Noname, now that has style.”

With a
slight tilt of his head you could almost see him mulling over the
name.

“What do
you think?” I asked him.

He glanced
over at the duty nurse. A mischievous smile formed as he nodded
his approval.

“A new
life started that day. Johnny Noname was born.”
“Our interaction did not go unnoticed by the day nurse. She
picked up her phone and within minutes two of the doctors were
there. They stood off watching our interaction, mostly one sided
, but still the first spontaneous interaction by Johnny.”

“I was
encouraged by my doctor to continue to work with Johnny. So each
day we would meet after our sessions and our day would begin.
Johnny still didn’t say anything. I would start just rambling
about this topic or that. When Johnny would find something that
interested him he would touch my arm. Most of the time he liked
hearing about touring with the Backstreet Boys.”

“About a
week later; when I met Johnny in the sun room, something new came into
our relationship. Johnny had a note pad on his lap and when he
saw me he held up his pad where he had written the word, Hi. Two
way communication, of sorts, had begun.”

“I had to
be careful with my questions. I didn’t want to send Johnny back
into his shell. I started with simple yes and no questions.
Eventually I asked him his name. A mischievous smile, he wrote,
Johnny Noname. I asked him what had happened to him. After
a long pause he wrote, ‘I don’t remember.’ I could see this line
a questions were beginning to upset him so I changed to topics I knew
he enjoyed.”

“The
weather had been typical Texas weather, hot and dry. We spent
most of our day in the sun room or watching TV in the cooler media
room. One afternoon while we were watching TV; a low rumble could
be heard, and it wasn’t coming from the TV.”

“You need
to understand, life at the clinic is not what you would call
exciting. Very little changes from day to day, so when something
unusual happens everyone tends to investigate with is going on.
Everyone figured the sound had come from outside so most of the
inmates, I mean residents, went to the sun room. Off to the north
the sky was full of dark clouds. After the first flash of
lightening I felt someone grab my arm.”

“Johnny
was about to freak. I could see him starting to withdraw into his
hiding place. I pulled him in front of me and wrapped him in a
hug from behind. I kept telling him he was safe, there was
nothing to be afraid of. He seemed to relax as I held him.
Every time there was a flash of lightening I’d say “Wow!” Then
the thunder would roll in and I would laugh and say “Yeah!”

“We
watched as the thunder storm moved across the sky. With each
flash Johnny would flinch a little and as the thunder rolled in he
would tense up. But after awhile I noticed he still jumped a
little with the lighting but he didn’t seem to be tensing up when the
thunder came. And I noticed he was laughing with me when I’d say
“Yeah!”

“As the
storm moved out of the area, as a kind of grand finale, there four
streaks of lighting at once and the loudest roll of thunder yet.
We laughed together then Johnny said “Yeah!” I don’t think he
realized it at first, that he had spoken.”

I gave him
a hug, “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”

He nodded
with a giggle.

“It’s one
of the best shows around,” I told him. “There’s nothing produced
by man, that can compare to Gods spectacular display,”

“Yeah,” he
said as we watched the storm move father away.“Our
breakthrough in communication was short lived. Johnny returned to
his silent self. None of the staff could get him to say anything
and I only got a “yeah” once in a while.”

“One day
as my session with my shrink was about over the doctor asked if I was
ready to go home. Of course I was excited with the prospect of
going home. He gave me a referral to a shrink in Orlando and I
agreed to continue with my therapy. When I walked out of the
doctors office I found Lou waiting for me. He was there to take
me home. We left immediately for the air port.”

“You left
without saying good bye to Johnny,” Marc said softly.

“I looked
for him; as we were leaving, but he was still with his doctor.”
A.J. said in his defense. “It was late the next day, when I
finally had some time alone, I was able to call the clinic. The
switchboard wouldn’t put me through to Johnny, instead they connected
me with his doctor. I told him I felt bad about leaving with out
telling Johnny good bye and I just wanted to talk to him for just a
minute to make it right between us.

“The
doctor told me Johnny was no longer there. He left some time
during the night and in the morning all they found was a think you note
for all the help they had given him and a pile of bandages.”“Did you
ever find Johnny?” Nick softly asked.

A.J.
stared at Marc for a long time. “Yeah, . . yeah I did.”

“What
happened to him?” Chris asked.

Still
looking into Marc’s eyes he asked, “Why did you leave?”

“That’s
the question I kept asking myself about you. Why did Alex leave
without saying good-bye? When I couldn’t find you, I got
upset. Your doctor noticed there was something wrong and when he
asked me if he could do something for me? I managed to stammer
out, “Wh, whe, where is, is Al, Alex?”

“The
doctor was surprised that I had managed to ask the question. He
told me you had left to go back to your life.”

“I managed
to thank the doctor then went to my room. I lay there thinking to
myself why couldn’t you have just said good-bye before you left.
Before I knew it the thoughts in my head became words coming out of my
mouth. The safety I felt at that place was no longer there.
You were no longer there. I needed to feel safe again. So
that night when everyone was asleep I was able to sneak out of the
clinic.”

“Where did
you go?” Alex asked.

“To the
one place I felt safe. To the ranch and Cowboy.”

Lance
moved next to Marc slipping his arm around Marc’s waist. “Who is,
Cowboy?”

“Oh
God! Their dead,” Marc wailed as he clutched Lance to him, as
uncontrolled sobs over took him.

The guys
moved in to give their friend their love and support.

Ryan
looked up at Mr. Uriel with concern. “What’s wrong with
Boo? I thought he was going to get his memory back.”

“He did
get his memory back. He remembers everything about his
past. Including the accident that took you and your family.”

“But why
is he crying?”

“He is
grieving for his family. Your brother has just remembered what
happened and now he is very sad.”

“Is there
anything we can do to help him?” Ryan asked.

Mr. Uriel
observed the support Marc was getting from his friends. “No,
there’s nothing we can do. Your brother is getting the help he
needs from his friends and family. It’s just going to take time
for him to come to terms with his loss.”

“But Boo,
knows he really haven’t lost us,” Ryan pointed out.

“And that
knowledge will help him come to terms with his loss. The best
help he will get will come from these men; his family and
friends. Come on son, you brother is in good hands. We have
another job to do,” Uriel said as they turned into the light.

“Where we
going?” Ryan asked as they stepped into the light.

“I think
it’s time you met an old friend of mine. Have you ever been to
Texas?”

Colonel
Jannie Anderson, had been dozing off and on, on the extremely long
flight from Landstuhl RMC, in Germany to her duty station at
Walter Reed AMC, in Washington DC. She had just completed a four
week inspection tour of the Army Medical Centers in Germany.

“No.
It was four years ago. He’s just graduated collage and seems
ready to settle down.”

“Four
years? Where has the time gown?”

The fasten
you seat belts sigh came on. “And it looks like this flight is
over,” Janet pointed out.

“Well if I
don’t see you before you leave, give your family my best, and give
Jimmy a kiss for me.”

“I
will. And don’t forget you have a meeting with General Ford in
the morning.”

“Yes, the
General,” Jannie said with a sigh.

“May I
ask? Have you came to a decision?”

“No, I
haven’t.” Jannie said as they felt their plane touch down.

Joey
returned from the backyard carrying the still full plate of food.

“Still no
luck?” Howie asked.

Joey shook
his head. “Marc won’t eat anything.”

“What
about Lance?”

“He won’t
let go of Marc long enough to eat. The two of them are just
sitting under the tree, looking into the night sky, and rocking.”

“Has he
stopped crying?”

Joey
nodded, “I don’t think he has any tears left.” Looking around the
pool area he noticed someone missing. “Where is J.C.?”

“He got a
call a little while ago and left. He said he’d be right back.”

Just then
the sound of the front door could be heard opening then closing.
All heads turned when J.C. stepped out of the kitchen followed by
Marc’s father.

“Doc Tom!”
several of the guys called out when he stopped out of the
kitchen.

Tom was
soon surrounded buy Chris, Joey, and Justin.

“How is he
doing?” Tom asked as he looked around the pool area.

“Not too
good,” Justin answered.

“Where is
he?”

“He and
Lance are sitting under the big tree,” Joey said as he pointed out into
the yard.

Marc was
staring up into the night sky so he didn’t notice the person
approaching.

“Son,” Tom
softly said.

The sound
of Tom’s voice brought Marc back to earth. “Dad?” he said looking
up.

Tom opened
his arms and Marc sprung into his arms. “I’m here now, son.”

Lance got
to his feet as Marc wrapped his arms around his dad and began to cry.

Tom saw
the concern in Lance’s face, as he pulled his son into a tighter
embrace. “It’s going to be all right son.”

Lance
backed away, giving Marc and Tom some time together.

“Here
comes Lance,” Chris said as Lance all but sprinted through the door.

“Lance,
what’s wrong?” J.C. asked.

“I got to
pee,” he called over his shoulder as he slammed the bathroom door.

The guys
looked at each other before they began to laugh.

Colonel
Anderson, leaned against the door to her quarters surveying the musty
smelling apartment. Everything was as she had left it four weeks
ago. As she walked down the hall she flicked on the air, hoping
to clear the air. Standing at the window she looked out into the
rain sweep street. “Lord, what am I going to do?” she said softly.

“That’s up
to you,” a voice answered.

Jennie
quickly looked around the room. “Who said that?” But there was no
one their.

‘I must be losing it,’ she
thought.

“Why would
you think that?” the voiced asked.

‘Either
some one is playing a joke or . . .’

“Or what?”
the voice asked.

“I’ve lost
my mind,” she said softly.

“You
haven’t lost you mind. Look at the window. Tell me what you
see.”

Jannie
looked out the window. “It’s dark out. I can see lights in
the building across the street. It’s raining so you can’t see
much more.” She was not sure what she was suppose to be looking
for when the reflection from the room came into focus.

She smiled
when she recognized the reflection of the man standing next to
her. “Mr. Uriel.”

“Jannie,”
Mr. Uriel softly said.

“It’s good
to see you again sir. It’s been a long time.”

“Yes it
has. The last time we talked you were trying to figure out how to
tell your family about your decision to join the Army Medical Corps.”

“Yes, I
remember.”

“Now you
have another decision to make,” Mr. Uriel pointed out. “But we
both know you have already made your decision.”

“Your
right. I’ve enjoyed my time in the army. But lately
something has been missing. I know I’m not going to find what I’m
looking for in the army.”

“So what’s
the problem?”

“I just
don’t know where to start looking,” Jannie said with a sigh.

“You can’t
find what you are looking for here. So I would suggest your
answer lies out there,” Urial indicated the world out the window.

Jannie
stared into the night. “Where do I start?”

“How about
were we last talked,” Mr. Ural said as he faded from sight.

Jannie
tilted her head slightly as she pondered Mr. Urial’s statement.
“I think it’s time to go home,” she said with a sigh.

Lance
looked up as Tom and Marc entered the pool area. “Are you all
right?”

Marc
nodded as he joined Lance in an embrace. “I’m doing better,” Marc
said as his stomach growled.

As they
went into the kitchen they found Joey sneaking out the other doorway
with a plate piled high with sandwiches.

“Hi Joe,
got the munches?” Marc chuckled.

“Oh, um,
yeah, munches.”

“I hope
you are being a good host, and plan to share them with Howie,” Marc
said with a grin. Joey
looked between Marc, Lance and Tom. ‘Oh, shit! What is Tom
thinking?’ Joey thought as he began to panic.

“Those
sandwiches look good,” Tom said. “Is there enough left for a few
more?”

“Yeah,
there’s plenty,” a red faced Joey answered.

“Good, I’m
hungry,” Marc said as he opened the refrigerator.

Joey
turned to leave.

“Good
night,” Tom called after Joey.

Lance woke
from his slumber, with his arm spread across the empty bed. The
sheets were cold, telling him Marc had been up for quite awhile.
The sound of the shower coming on, narrowed down, Marc’s
location. Slipping out of bed, he approached the bathroom
door. Marc’s running shoes were sitting outside the door as Lance
slowly pushed open the door.

Marc was
standing under the shower head, letting the warm water wash over
him. When he felt a pair of hands grab his ass.

Marc
chuckled as the hands moved up his back as he moved against
Lance. Slowly his hands moved around to his front making sure he
brushed his fingers against Marc’s nipples.

Leaning
back, he felt Lance’s erect member sliding up his butt crack.
Marc moaned softly as he pressed against Lance’s erection.

Marc
reached behind him, pulling Lance closer. “I need you, James.”

Lance’s
hands moved down until he encountered Marc’s erection. His head
was slick with pre cum. Spreading the natural lubricant along the
shaft he could feel Marc shutter. “Want to move this to the
bedroom?” Lance whispered into Marc’s ear.

“I’d love
to,” Marc gasped. “But my dad is down the hall.” Marc
spread his feet and bent over. “Please, make love to me. I
need you in me.”

Lance
squirted some shower jell into his hand and used it to loosen his lover
up. Coating his member with more jell he positioned himself at
Marc’s puckered opening then slowly slid in.

Howie
looked up at Joey as he lay panting with his eyes closed. As he
gave Joey’s penis head one last lick. He had to chuckle at
how sensitive Joey got, after ejaculating.

Slowly he
crawled up Joey, stopping along the way to kiss and nibble various
areas.

Opening
his eyes he looked into Howie’s smiling face. “That was
incredible,” Joey managed to say.

“Then I
take it you liked it?” Howie said as he settled himself on top of
Joey.

“Oh,
yeah,” Joey replied as he wrapped his arms around Howie. “Just
give me a few minutes and I’ll do you.”

“You don’t
have to,” Howie said as he snuggled onto Joey’s chest.

“But I
want to. It’s only fair. You gave me so much pleasure and I
want to give you some.”

“Oh, you
did,” Howie held up his wadded up boxers. “I was so turned on I
couldn’t help my self.”

Joey
smiled, “A hair trigger?”

“Not
normally,” Howie said as he rolled off of Joey and dropped his soiled
underwear next to the bed.

Howie
pulled the sheet up over them as they snuggled together.

“Joe, I
know this is all new to you. And we agreed to take things
slow. I guess I just want to know what you are thinking about all
of this?”

Joey
leaned down and kissed the top of Howie’s head. “I’m asking
myself why did it take me so long to tell you I was interested.
God! This feels so right, holding you in my arms.”Tom was
sitting at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee when Lance and Marc
entered the kitchen. “Good morning,” he greeted.

“Good
morning, Tom.”

“Good
morning, Dad.”

“How are
you doing son?” Tom asked Marc.

“A lot
better,” Marc said with a sigh. “Thanks for coming on such short
notice.”

“Where
else, would I be? I knew my boy, needed his dad.”

“I did,”
Marc said. “When do you need to get back?”

“I should
be returning this afternoon. I’ve got surgery scheduled for
tomorrow morning.”

Marc
looked to Lance, “Can you get away for a few days?”

“I’ll have
to check with Johnny.” Lance went into the study to give Johnny a
call.

“You going
to spend some time at the lake?” Tom asked.

“No, I
need James to meet someone.”

Tom gave
his son a questioning look.

“Dad,
there is still a year between my leaving the clinic and showing up in
your emergency room. I need to show James where and who, I spent
that time.”

“I
agree. What you told me last night is hard to believe. And
I don’t think he would truly understand if you just told him.”

Lance came
back into the kitchen with a big smile on his face.

“Good
news, I hope,” Marc said.

“I’ve got
the next week off. Johnny said he only needed Josh and
Justin. They need to finish the mixing of the new songs.”

“A week,
good,” Marc said with a smile. “That will give us some time to
spend with the boys.”

Lance
offered to call for plane reservations. Marc gave Tom a wink and
told him, “Everything was arranged.”

“When do
we leave?”

“As soon
as we can get packed,” Marc replied.

“Oh,
okay,” a puzzled Lance answered. “What should I pack?”

“Come on,
I’ll help you pack,” Marc said as he and Lance headed up the stairs.

Marc drove
the three of them to the airport.

“You’re
going to miss our exit,” Lance said pointing at the sign to the
terminal. “You missed it.”

“Relax.
I know where I’m going,” Marc said as he slowed for the next exit.

“This is
the wrong terminal,” Lance tried to point out.

“No, this
is the right one,” Marc said as he pulled up to the private flight
terminal.

An
attendant rolled a luggage cart to their van and started unloading
their bags. Marc turned the keys over to the valet, informing him
they would be returning in six days.

“If you
gentlemen would just follow me,” the attendant said as he headed into
the terminal.

Lance was
completely lost as to what was going on. He expected to find some
type of ticket counter when they entered the terminal but there was
none. They walked through the building and out the other side to
an awaiting private jet.

Lance had
stopped about ten feet from the plane, wide eyed, with his mouth
open.

Marc
turned back to his partner, and chuckled.

“Are, are
we going to fly on that?” Lance managed to ask.

“Only if
we get aboard,” Marc said as he guided Lance forward.

At the top
of the stairs they were greeted by a pretty female attendant.

“Very
well,” she smiled. “As soon as Eric has all you luggage stowed we
will be ready to leave. If you would take your seats.”

With his
hand on the small of Lance’s back, Marc prodded him into the main cabin
and into a seat.

After
buckling their seat belts Marc leaned over to Lance, “I know you have a
thousand questions. Once we get to level flight I’ll tell you a
story.”

The door
was closed and the cabin pressurized. A slight yawn helped
relieve the pressure in their ears. Lance was waiting for the
engines to start and was surprised when the craft began to move. ‘Had the engines been idling the
whole time? If so they sure were quiet running,’
Lance
thought.

In a
matter of minutes they were in the air and climbing to their cruising
altitude.

When the
fasten your seat belts sign went off Lance seemed to relax somewhat.

Jill came
to their seats. She smiled briefly at Tom before turning her
attention to them. Marc looked across the aisle to find his dad
was already napping. “Did he sleep on the flight down?”
Marc inquired.

Jill
nodded, “The whole flight. Can I get you gentlemen anything?”

Marc
looked to Lance. He nodded yes.

“Ice
Tea?” Marc asked.

“Yes,
sweet please,” Lance replied.

“Make that
two,” Marc added then looked at his dad. “Can you bring them to
the conference room?”

Marc lead
Lance through the door at the back of the cabin. They entered a
large room that seemed to take up a third of the craft. A large
table dominated the center of the room with eight high backed chairs
positioned around the table. Marc went to the chair at the head
of the table and gestured to the one on his right.

As Marc
took his seat, Lance’s eyes were drawn to the insignia on the wall
behind Marc’s seat. Marc turned to see what had captured Lance’s
eye and smiled.

“Now,
where have you seen that before?” Marc said with a smirk.

“It’s your
phoenix tattoo.”

“Actually,
my tattoo was based on the logo for the Phoenix Foundation.”

“That’s
the ones paying for your education?”

Marc
nodded, “And a lot more.”

“This jet
belongs to the foundation?” Lance asked.

“The
foundation leases it.”

“Ok, but
why are we using it?”

“My Dad
wanted to get down to Orlando in a hurry, he asked to use it.”

“Why would
they let him us it?”

“Because
he is a member of the board of directors.”

Lance
still looked confused.

“Remember
me telling you about Marcus Long?”

Lance
nodded. “He set up a trust to pay your education.”

“That’s
right, at least that’s what I thought. But a week ago when I flew
out to L.A. I flew on this plane. My lawyer, who is also a
member of the board, so I wasn’t surprised that we were using it.
What I didn’t know at the time there were other passengers. It
turns out the governing board was also with us.”

“Why?”

“Well,
they were here to bring me up to date on my position with the
foundation. It seems Marcus also left me the title of Chairman of
the Board, among other things.”

“What
other things?”

“The
foundations holdings is considerably larger than I had been led to
believe.”

“How much
more?”

“Ah,
within a month it’s worth should surpass a billion dollars.”

Lance’s
mouth dropped open. “You control a foundation worth a billion
dollars?”Marc
nodded, then continued to fill Lance in on his new position.

Before
they knew it they were descending into the Madison airport. As
the plane pulled up to the terminal Lance saw Toms 4X4 waiting on the
tarmac. After a quick good-bye at the bottom of the planes
stairs, Marc and Lance were headed into the wild blue yonder, (actually
headed for San Antonio, Texas) to meet with someone Marc refers to
as Cowboy.

TBC

Well, Marc got back his memory
back. And for those of you who didn’t quite understand the key part. There was two key
things, that had to come together. The first was A.J. who Marc
had met earlier. And the second was the thunderstorm. A.J.
and the thunderstorm together formed the key to his memory.

Joey
and Howie finally got together. Now they are off to find someone
named Cowboy and the final missing year of Marc’s life.

The
next chapter is in the works and I’m hoping to get it out a lot quicker
them this one.